The T/R Module Production Base for the F35 Lightning II’s Radar

09/07/2010
An Interview With Douglas Lawton, vice president, Baltimore Manufacturing, Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems In early July, Second Line of Defense talked with Douglas Lawton, a conversation prompted by an SLD visit to the Northrop Grumman plant to watch the transmit and receive (or T/R) module production line : this line…

A Conversation with an F-35 Maintainer about the Impact of the New F-35 Actuator System on Maintenance

08/26/2010
An Interview with Armando Martinez In an earlier article on the website, we discussed the impact of the design of the F-35 on maintenance. One system, which was discussed in the article, was the new approach to building and maintaining hydraulic systems.   The article discussed the impact of the EHAS…

Elizabeth City USCG Base Infrastructure

08/25/2010
On our tour of the Elizabeth City USCG station there were several examples of the state of the infrastructure and of needs for modernization. All photos are credit to Second Line of Defense, June 30, 2010. A first example is how much stuff is kept outside because of the absence…

The Challenge of Modernizing USCG Infrastructure: The Case of the Elizabeth City USCG Base

08/24/2010
An Interview with Captain Bennett Earlier this summer Second Line of Defense interviewed Captain Bennett, base commander at the Elizabeth City Coast Guard Station. Captain Bennett discussed the challenges facing the facility with aging infrastructure impacting on operations and capabilities. Our website looks at concepts of operations and capabilities. Clearly…

Zoltek Circumvents U.S. Export Controls By Moving Offshore

08/24/2010
By Richard McCormack Originally published in Manufacturing & Technology News on July 30, 2010 *** One American company selling a widely produced global product that the U.S. government says could be used by rogue states against American national security interests has found a way around U.S. government export controls. Zoltek…

Iraq 2012: Anchoring Regional Security

08/24/2010
By Dr. Robbin Laird Much of the Iraq withdrawal conversation has revolved around either the date of U.S. departure or protecting Americans left behind. Missing from the debate is arguably the most important strategic questions: How will Iraqi security be guaranteed during Iraq's continuing transition? What U.S. security policy is…

High Tech CEO Wonders if Silicon Valley will Look Like Shenango Valley

08/17/2010
By Richard A. McCormack [email protected] [caption id="attachment_10932" align="alignnone" width="300" caption=" "][/caption] Originally published in Manufacturing News , Volume 17, No.5 on March 31, 2010 It might not be very long before Silicon Valley, Calif., starts to take on the characteristics of Shenango Valley, Penn., if state and national policies don't…

Geopolitics in a Time of Rapid Technological Change

08/17/2010
By Dr. Alain Dupas and Gerard Huber [caption id="attachment_10346" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="(Credit Photo: Amazon.com)"][/caption] One of our regular contributors and his co-author have addressed the strategic shifts accompanying technological change in the first part of the 21st century. In a major book published in France earlier this year, Dupas and…